How to Write a Dissertation Introduction 

The dissertation introduction chapter appears at the start after the table of contents in your academic writing. In PhD, master’s, and bachelor’s projects, the introductory chapter describes the scope of your research.  However, many students don’t know how to outline the structure of the dissertation chapter of their research study.

If you want to know how to write a dissertation introduction, this blog is for you. Let’s start by providing an overview of a dissertation and why the introductory chapter of a dissertation is important.

What is a Dissertation?

A dissertation is an academic paper typically called the “final exam stage” in graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs for earning academic degrees. The objective of a dissertation is to unravel the skill of a student om research and expertise in a specific field of study. 

It is a scholarly piece of work submitted according to the guides at the university, but in general, it happens with the assistance of a subject mentor. A board of specialists then asses the dissertation and determine if it qualifies for a degree or not. Hence, how long should the introduction of a dissertation be plays a crucial role in writing the research problem, methodology, and objectives in your thesis. The students present their dissertation study in front of the committee of faculty in an oral seminar. This is called a dissertation defense.

In this blog, you will see that we have used the word dissertation interchangeably with thesis paper. The terminology is confusing because different countries use these two conventions in different ways. In the United States, for instance, dissertations are required to earn a PhD degree, and a thesis for bachelor’s or master’s degrees. The condition is reversed in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where the dissertations refer to undergraduate degrees.

How Long Should a Dissertation Be?

There are no fixed standards on how many words is a dissertation. Remember one thing that dissertation are very lengthy to write. The word and page count of your dissertation is usually different in accordance to factors such as: 

• Degree Level: The higher the academic degree, the longer your dissertation will be.
• Institutional Guidelines: Each university or department accepts its own dissertation length requirements. 
• It’s crucial to check your institution’s rules and then decide how long should the introduction of a dissertation be and the total word count expectations.
• Field of Study: Research fields like the health sciences require more extensive research and data collection, so such dissertations are long.

Here are some general guidelines on how many words is a dissertation can be:

• Undergraduate Dissertations:  Typically have a word count range of 8,000 to 15,000 words, depending on the course. At this academic level, introducing a dissertation is focused just on clear problem statement and the goals of the study.

   

• Master’s Dissertations: They are longer with a word count of  12,000 to 50,000. The dissertation introduction at this level gives a comprehensive overview of research and lays the groundwork for further investigation of the issue.

   

• PhD Thesis: Such dissertations are of book-length and the word count can go to 70,000 to 100,000 words. How long should a dissertation introduction will vary as it will include analysis of already present literature, research gap, and contribution to the field of study.

There is flexibility in the length of the dissertation as it also includes figures and diagrams, especially for the field of science, technology, and medicine.

Qualities of a Good Dissertation:

• In your dissertation, show how your research is adding valuable contribution to your field.
• Explain why your topic is important for real world issues and how it helps fill a gap in the existing state of research.
• Your writing should be based on evidence. For this, carefully evaluate different viewpoints and angles of your study, and clearly point out limitations of your topic.
• It’s also important to keep in mind the ethics of research practices, especially if you are working with human participants. Always respect their privacy and well-being throughout the research process.

Why is the Introduction Chapter of a Dissertation Important?

A well-structured dissertation introduction communicates the context of the study that the reader needs to know. It defines the basics of a research and explain the topic of study clearly to the audience.

Your dissertation introduction chapter needs the following:

• Research gap in the existing research
• Research idea, thesis of topic, and current state of research
• Stating your aims and objectives, and research questions
• Brief explanation of findings from the study.
• Highlighting the relevance and significance of your study
• Give a brief overview of the structure of the entire dissertation.

A student needs to know how to write a dissertation introduction because examiners form their first impression from this part of your dissertation. Now you have understood how to write a dissertation introduction, let’s explore some practical tips to help you write it effectively. 

Tips to Write an Interesting Dissertation Introduction

A dissertation introduction allows your reader to understand the objectives of your research at first glance, so you need to write it very clearly and concisely. Writing a PhD-level or master’s level dissertation is difficult because it involves presenting original research while adhering to the strict academic standards. The dissertation introduction is especially challenging because it provides the necessary background for your study. 

Here are some tips on introducing a dissertation:

1. Write your introduction at the end of writing the dissertation.
2. Use concise language and establish the theoretical framework of your thesis.
3. Briefly highlight the current state of available research and its relevance to your topic.
4. When writing your dissertation, keep in mind to describe the results and conclusions of your research. 
5. Include a brief summary of the methodology chapter, data collection, and limitations of the study.
6. While introducing a dissertation, remember the objectives, research objectives, questions, and significance all relate to the core research problem.

Once you understand how to write a dissertation introduction, the rest of your thesis becomes easier to organize.

What is Dissertation Introduction Word Count?

While writing their dissertation, many students are stuck on how long should a dissertation introduction be. There is no fixed rule on how many words you should use while introducing a dissertation.  Typically, how long should a dissertation introduction be depends on your overall word count and degree level. However, many dissertation guides at university suggest a 10% contribution of the introduction to the total dissertation.

So if your thesis has a word count of 10000 words, then your introduction chapter can be roughly around 800 to 1000 words. You can also ask your professor that how long should a dissertation introduction be according to your department’s expectations. Make sure it’s long enough to cover all required elements, but not overloaded with unnecessary background information.

To maintain academic balance, it’s important to know how long should a dissertation introduction be based on your discipline of your research.

What to Include in a Dissertation Introduction?

When introducing a dissertation, you thoroughly explain your thesis statement or research problem and provide an overview of how your work will address it. The introduction is normally organized, with each chapter receiving its own brief synopsis.

It should hint at your technique, establish the context of the study (without getting into too much depth), and explain the existing state of research on the issue so the reader understands where your dissertation fits in.

Here are 7 ingredients to include in a dissertation introduction:

Brief Overview of Your Research Project:

Begin writing your introduction with a brief background of your research topic. This is the part where you grab the reader’s attention the most. Tell them about the value of your research and its contribution to knowledge of the subject.

A sentence outlining the overview of research can be written as: 

“This research looks at how online educational resources are affecting the student participation and study outcomes of biology students in UK universities, with an emphasis on how technology”.

Research Questions In Thesis Introduction:

The research question of your research study is a focused and manageable question your study wants to achieve.  It is a narrow and specific area of investigation which you answer using outline of the structure of research steps. 

An example to write the research question of dissertation introduction is:

“In what ways the digital learning platforms affect the higher education learning outcomes of undergraduate biology students in top universities in the UK“?

Literature Review in Dissertation Introduction

After highlighting the research question, tell the reader about the context of the research and summarize the available literature related to your topic. Highlight the necessary background and support your problem statement with a research gap in the available data.

Write it in three steps:

• Highlight the already established facts on the research issue.
• What part of the problem is not addressed in the existing literature?
• Why is the topic important?

Research Aims and Objectives in the Introduction Chapter of your dissertation

At this step, you have developed the background section of your research in your dissertation introduction. It’s now time to define the main aim of your topic.

Then break your aim into clear objectives that you will achieve step by step. These objectives are actionable steps that will shape the methodology chapter and answer your research questions.

An easy example to follow can be:

“To investigate how the online learning platforms are impacting the academic outcomes of students in undergraduate biology studies “. 

Similarly, you can achieve this aim with three objectives:

• Identify widely utilized online tools in biology instruction.
• Use these methods to assess student involvement.
• To evaluate academic performance between technological users and non-users.

Tell About the Research Methods While Introducing a Dissertation

The next question that comes in the mind of your reader is “how these objectives will be achieved”.  Here you can explain the research methods you will use, what type of data you will collect, and how it will be analysed in your dissertation. Know more about how to write a methodology for a dissertation and research paper for publication.

You can define your research methods as:

“This study uses a qualitative case study approach using semi-structured interviews with students”.

Explaining the Significance of Your Research Topic

At this stage, you have already explained your research background, objectives and problem but the reader wants to know why he should be reading your article in the first place.

Simply explain the significance of your study by answering two questions:

1. What is your study’s contribution to knowledge of the subject?
2. How will your study resolve societal and global issues?

When you are introducing a dissertation, this part should not be very long. It should be selling the value of your research. It would be a selling pitch that explains why the reader should stay hooked to your paper. 

You can also seek help if you want to know how long should an introduction be for a dissertation, research paper, or essay.

Research Limitations of Thesis or Dissertation

By this time, you will be feeling that you have designed the perfect research project. However, it is not the case. Research projects are often very costly, have a limited time, and require researcher expertise. The key to overcome this situation is to open arenas of improvement for future researchers. 

Discuss the findings from the study in the introduction and tell the readers how they can contribute to your research project in the future.

Structure Your Dissertation | What Comes Between Introduction and Conclusion?

Once your introduction is set it’s now time, that the remaining chapters of your dissertation structure to carry the weight of your research. You have explained very briefly what to include in a dissertation introduction such as your research aims, background, and scope. The remaining sections of your dissertation structure are the core of your research study.

There are 5 components of a dissertation:

1. Literature Section:

This section highlights the past knowledge on the issue and the research gaps left behind. 

2. Methodology chapter

Write about the research methods you will be using to achieve your aims (qualitative vs quantitative). Knowing how to write a methodology for a dissertation is critical to explain your research design, data collection, and analysis methods.

3. Results and findings:

It includes the findings of your research study with supporting visuals like graphs, tables, and charts. 

4. Discussion chapter:

In this chapter, we usually relate our results to the existing data to reflect back on the hypothesis you have developed earlier. 

5. Conclusion section

It is the final chapter of your dissertation. It is a takeaway for the readers about the new insights and findings your thesis has revealed for the readers.

Many students often ask how many words is a dissertation, these middle chapters usually account for 70–80% of the total word count.

Common Mistakes in Writing the Introduction in Dissertation

Here are some common mistakes students make while writing the introductory chapter of their dissertation:

1. Not giving adequate background for the study.
2. Poorly specified scope of the study.
3. Lacking a structured outline of dissertation.
4. Incompatible research objectives and topic questions.
5. Having inadequately defined research goals,
6. There is inadequate reasoning for the study subject.
7. A study subject that is too general.

What We’ve Learned?

Introducing your dissertation in the right manner is equally important as writing the remaining dissertation. From presenting your topic to clearly outlining your aims, each part of the dissertation introduction plays a vital role in guiding your reader through your academic journey. Whether you’re working on a master’s thesis or a PhD dissertation, the introduction chapter is your chance to make a powerful first impression in the minds of your audience. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Dissertation Writing 

Question: How many words is a dissertation?

Answer: The total number of words a dissertation will be is dependent on the field of study, the depth of research and the guides at university. To write a good dissertation, follow the instructions from your institute and your advisor.

Question: How long should an introduction be for a dissertation?

Answer: There is no gold standard on dissertation introduction length. But generally it is 10% of the total dissertation words.

Question: Where I can find dissertation introduction examples?

Answer:  You can find the best dissertation introduction examples in university libraries, academic databases, and internet dissertation sample sites. There are past dissertations published on these sources, and you can use them to write the best dissertation for your master’s and PhD research project.